


Sync

by sunnflowers



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Fluff, Meditation, Mentor/Protégé
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 02:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6638428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnflowers/pseuds/sunnflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasper and Sugilite spend some time together on the beach.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sync

Jasper sat in the sand a distance away from the water, her eyes closed, attempting to meditate. It wasn’t working very well. The sound of the ocean was making her anxious and she could hear Sugilite stomping around somewhere down the beach. “Ugh, fusions,” she mumbled to herself. “Why does she have to be so loud?!” Jasper closed her eyes more tightly and tried to focus. She let out a breath as she felt the ground shake beneath her. 

“What cha doing Stripes? It looks boring.” Jasper ground her teeth together. “What do you say you come hang out with me and do something fun instead?” Sugilite gave a sly smile but Jasper’s eyes were still closed. 

“Leave me alone, Sugilite,” Jasper said angrily. “I’m meditating.” 

“What cha wasting your time on that for? When you could be spending time with me!” Jasper growled as Sugilite laughed, poking the orange gem gently. Jasper opened her eyes and swatted at her.

“Stop it, I’m busy! Just leave me alone.” Sugilite laughed as she plopped herself down in front of Jasper. 

“Like you can resist someone as cool as me.” 

“Wanna bet?” Jasper glared at the purple fusion before closing her eyes again. She was determined to meditate, with or without Sugilite attempting to distract her. Sugilite was quite for some time and Jasper hoped maybe that meant she could meditate in peace. She was still finding it hard to concentrate, but it was better than before, when Sugilite could be heard stomping along the beach for miles. 

Just as Jasper thought she might be making progress, she heard an irritated whine. “I’m bored!” Sugilite whimpered as she rolled over onto her back. Jasper sighed. It was clear there was no way she was going to meditate and she couldn’t actually blame it all on Sugilite. 

“Fine. What do you want, brat?” Jasper asked the fusion, irritated.

\---

Amethyst and Garnet had recently decided they should spend more time fused as Sugilite. She needed practice controlling her temper, and she deserved some time to be in existence herself. Pearl was uneasy about the arrangement, remembering Sugilite’s return from destroying the communication hub. But, Garnet and Amethyst convinced her that they were better prepared to deal with Sugilite’s combative and destructive nature. Surprisingly, it was Jasper who seemed to be able to focus Sugilite’s expansive energy, getting the fusion to think about her actions and learn to behave more … appropriately. 

Sugilite was clearly fond of Jasper, though Jasper didn’t immediately admit to any fondness of the wild purple gem fusion. The first time Garnet and Amethyst attempted their fusion for practice, Jasper was meditating under a tree. Sugilite approached the orange gem, loudly, but Jasper ignored her. When the stamping and child-like tantrum didn’t get her attention, Sugilite finally changed her tactic. She knew initiating combat with teammates would have her poofed out of existence again. Instead, she flopped onto the ground and just watched Jasper, her hands under her chin. After a while, the orange gem opened her eyes and greeted the fusion. “I see you’re done acting like a child.”

\---

Sugilite whined some more, “I told you, I’m bored!” Jasper shook her head as she walked towards the fusion. 

“You’re not bored; you’re just being a brat.” Sugilite huffed her disapproval. “I heard you stomping around on the other side of the beach. What were you doing before you decided you were bored?” 

“Oh,” Sugilite stared up into the sky. She didn’t embarrass easily, but when she did, Jasper was usually the cause. “I … didn’t mean to be so loud. Sorry.” Jasper sat next to the fusion and leaned against her hip, resting her hand on Sugilite’s. 

“It’s fine.” Jasper ran her fingers over the gem in one of the fusion’s hands and watched as Sugilite’s body shuddered for a short moment. “Wanna try again?”

\---

It took a bit, but Jasper had grown fond of the fusion. Soon, Sugilite was spending all her time with Jasper, and learning a great deal from the warrior. The fusion’s inexperience gave her a distinct personality, which contrasted Jasper’s lengthy existence as a gem nicely. Jasper found out that while Sugilite enjoyed being loud and massive, she wished she could sometimes be more normal sized. It would facilitate a much easier time hanging out with Steven, exploring beach city, and she might even be able to spend time in the beach house. With this knowledge, Jasper had agreed to help Sugilite control her size. 

\---

Sugilite sat on the beach with the soles of her feet touching, playing with the handle of her weapon. She didn’t want to seem anxious, but these shared moments with Jasper often had her feeling … not uncomfortable, but at the least, awkward. 

“Put that away!” Jasper barked, glaring at Sugilite’s flail. The purple fusion tentatively poked at her weapon and watched as it disappeared in a purple cloud. As she did, Jasper sat across from her, legs crossed and her hair tied up atop her head. Sugilite stared, internally lamenting how captivating the orange gem was, especially with her hair pulled back. 

“… when you can. So are you ready?” Sugilite refocused when she realized Jasper was indeed speaking to her and she had heard nothing.

“Uhmm, sorry. I was uhmm.” 

“Not paying attention,” Jasper replied in a matter of fact tone. “Sugi, focus will you?” Sugilite’s heart fluttered. She loved when Jasper called her that. 

“You got it, babe,” Sugilite replied, nodding and taking a deep breath. 

“So again,” Jasper said looking only slightly irritated. “Close your eyes and focus on your energy, your gems. When you’re ready, tell me what you see.” 

“A ruby, a sapphire, and an amethyst,” Sugilite said slowly. She took another deep breath and tried to focus on the images of her gems. “And they’re glowing. The amethyst is giving really bright pulses, while the ruby and the sapphire are steady.” 

“You want them to all be a steady, soft glow,” Jasper replied. “You’re too … scattered. You need all three of your gems to feel and act like one.” 

Sugilite took another deep breath and focused on her gems. The ruby and sapphire were always easy to sync. They seemed to naturally work together, but she always had a hard time focusing the amethyst with the others. It was no surprise really. After existing as Garnet for so long, Ruby and Sapphire’s gems were almost always in sync. She tried a different approach. This time she attempted to sync the amethyst and the ruby. She focused on the gems, trying to feel them both at the same time. She could feel her passion through the ruby, her mischief through the amethyst. As she continued to focus, she could sense a struggle between the two gems. 

“It isn’t working, Jasper!” Sugilite said, clearly frustrated. 

“Keep focusing, Sugi. Tell me what’s happening.”

Sugilite took another deep breath and tried to will her gems to sync. “I’m trying to focus my energy, but I can’t. When I try to sync the ruby and the amethyst, it just seems to make it worse. It’s like they’re competing to see which is stronger, brighter, ugh!” Jasper had stood up, positioning herself behind Sugilite. Gently, she rested her hand on the fusion’s back. 

“Don’t just try to focus two of them, you need all three at the same time. You can do this, come on, try again.” Jasper’s voice was soft and encouraging, a tone Sugilite always enjoyed. It was calming. The fusion nodded her head and tried again. 

“Okay, I’ve got this,” Sugilite said mostly to herself. Once again she focused on her gems and the energy that made her, her. Sapphire’s self-certainty, Amethyst’s risk taking, Ruby’s determination, they all worked together to produce her, the brash, creative, strong, Sugilite. She could see the three gemstones, each pulsing with a strong glow and the fusion smiled brightly, eyes still closed. “I did it! They’re synced!” 

Jasper watched as Sugilite’s form began to glow, slowly morphing larger and larger. The orange gem ground her teeth but tried not to discourage the fusion’s enthusiasm. “That’s great Sugi, but you need them to be synced AND cooperating. You need them to be one gem.” 

“Oh yeah,” Sugilite responded. “Consider it done!” Sugilite remembered what she and Jasper had worked on the last time they were meditating. She focused on the empty space between the three gems and envisioned what she wanted to see. Ever so slowly, the colors began to blend, the shapes began to merge. Soon, a deep purple, round-ish gem to came into her vision, sugilite. 

Jasper watched as the fusion’s form gave a softer, less intense glow and began to slowly shrink. “Keep focusing. How does it feel to have your gems in sync?” Jasper asked gently. Sugilite didn’t answer immediately. She was busy being consumed by this sudden new feeling of wholeness. She had always considered herself qualities of the entities that she was made of, she had never felt like she was completely her own being, until now. 

“… incredible …” Sugilite said softly, her eyes still closed. She worried that if she lost focus, she would lose this feeling. Instead of opening her eyes, Sugilite continued to stare at the gem at the center of her being. The gemstone was beautiful, a deep purple flecked with lighter shades, the surface smooth and reflective. Sugilite slowly opened her eyes to the view of the ocean. The sun was low and the sky was full of different shades reflecting off the water. “It’s good to be me …” She said as she raked at the sand with her fingers. 

The fusion felt Jasper’s hands rest on her shoulders. Suddenly, in that moment, she realized Jasper couldn’t normally reach her shoulders. She twisted her body to look behind her and saw the orange gem standing taller than her. Jasper grinned at the fusion before coming to sit beside her. Sugilite watched as the quartz sat down and without a second thought, grabbed Jasper’s hand in hers. She looked at the orange gem’s hand resting between two of her own. They were all of similar size and the fusion marveled at that. 

“Jasper! We’re …” Sugilite scrambled to kneel in front of Jasper. She grabbed the orange gem’s arms, extending them with her own, in awe that their span had become similar. She leaned her face close to Jasper’s, observing her gem and the markings across her face. Jasper was mostly tolerant of Sugilite’s newfound curiosity, letting the fusion poke and stare for another few moments. Finally, Sugilite jumped up, pulling Jasper to her feet as well. “We’re the same size!!” The fusion squealed as she threw herself into Jasper’s arms. 

“Alright, alright, calm down will you?” Jasper caught Sugilite and placed her back onto the sand gently. “How do you feel?” This time, Jasper’s tone was soft. 

“Good.” The fusion thought for a moment before continuing. “I feel … stable … not as unpredictable as I’ve felt before.” Suddenly, Sugilite’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Can you show me the beach house? Please, Jasper, please?!” Jasper couldn’t help but smile. She gently took the fusion’s gemmed hand in her own.

“Of course. Just calm down, you’re going to give Pearl a seizure.” Sugilite wrapped her fingers tightly around Jasper’s and beamed as they walked towards the beach house.


End file.
